Breathe In
by Bookish92
Summary: A different take on how the girls find out about Aria and Ezra's relationship. OneShot.


**Breathe In**

Aria spins around and faces Ezra; they're standing in his empty classroom together, a few feet apart from each other. His eyes are fixed on her, but she's looking past him out of the window.

'I – I'm not really sure what to say here.' She shrugs her shoulders, 'You make it so difficult.'

'I'm not trying to make things difficult for you; I just want you to be happy.'

'You make me happy! God Ezra I fell apart when you left, and then you come back and act as though we were never, that we never, that I meant,' She shakes her head in frustration, unable to get her words out, she's still clinging onto the book containing his poem, B-26, written proof of his love for her.

'Aria I came back and you were with him, and it made me realise how unfair I was being, you deserve to be with someone your own age, someone who you can be seen in public with. It's not fair of me to ask anything else of you.'

'Even if I love you?'

He can't help it, the if in her sentence feels like a knife to his heart, if she loves him, his worst fears are starting to surround him, that maybe she doesn't really love him.

'Because I do,' she adds stepping closer to him, using her free hand to dash away her tears, 'I do love you, how about you? Do you love me?'

'Of course I do,'

'Then what are we doing?' She takes another small step, so does he; they're only a few inches apart now, both looking into the others eyes.

'I'm trying to do what's best for you.' He replies quietly, barely more than a whisper.

'That's the thing, staying away from me isn't what's best for me, and you're such a jerk to think that you get to make the decision for me, you don't get to decide how I feel.' She isn't quite ready to let go of her anger, but he takes another small step, not quite touching her but close enough that she can smell him, the scent of coffee, old books, nutmeg and something indescribably him. She breathes in, meets his eyes.

'I'm sorry, forgive me?'

'No,' she has a hard time getting the word out, he leans his head towards her the tiniest fraction.

'Forgive me?'

Her heart speeds up and she closes the gap between them, kissing him as if her life depends on it, his arms pull her into a tight embrace, hers slide round his neck and hang on, and for a few perfect seconds they forget where they are, until suddenly a gasp from behind them causes them to break apart. Aria spins on the spot with wide eyes so that she's facing the door.

'Oh my goodness!'

'Spence don't freak out,' Aria looks at her friend steadily, 'I can explain.'

'Then you'd better start talking.' Spencer's eyes flick between Aria and Ezra.

'Let's go get a coffee, I'll explain I promise.' Aria's heart won't stop pounding, she spins back to Ezra who looks like he's just been hit round the head, 'Don't worry, I'll sort this out she won't say anything.' Aria whispers, 'I'll call you later.' She leans up and kisses him, this time a quick goodbye kiss but it still receives a shocked gasp from Spencer.

Aria marches over to her friend, takes her arm and pulls her from the classroom.

'What was that?' Spencer keeps shaking her head, trying to take it in.

'Not here, we'll talk in my car.' Aria keeps walking, and Spencer has no choice but to follow.

'Hey guys what's up? Spence are you ok, you look,' Hanna starts but Spencer cuts her off.

'Come with us, both of you,' she looks at Emily as well, 'you're going to want to hear this.'

'Spencer!' Aria looks accusingly at her, but Spencer just keeps heading for Aria's car. Bewildered Hanna and Emily follow the other two girls until they reach the car. Aria gets into the driver's seat and drives to her house, knowing that her parents will still be out and her brother is off playing basketball. She leads the three girls in and up to her room, shutting the door firmly.

'Ok I'm all for a little intrigue but this is getting crazy. Did you receive a text from A?'

'No.' Spencer and Aria reply together.

'Then what's going on?' Emily sits on the end of Aria's bed, Hanna sits next to her and Spencer takes the spot at the head of the bed, all three of them looking at Aria who is still standing, looking down at her feet.

'Guys seriously someone needs to explain,' Hanna says fixing Aria and then Spencer with a stare.

'I just walked in on Aria kissing someone.'

'Noel Khan by any chance?' Hanna smiles triumphantly because she was the one who set them up.

'Nope,' Spencer looks straight at Aria, 'Are you going to explain?'

'If it's not Noel then who is it? I thought you were seeing him.' Emily asks.

'I'm not, I mean I guess I sort of was but I wasn't really ever with him, there wasn't really ever an us. I ended whatever it was this afternoon, after I read something.'

'Makes sense, you have this great guy interested in you but you read something and decide to break up with him, I knew books were dangerous.' Hanna frowns.

'It wasn't a book, it was a poem.' Aria stalls for time.

'Oh well then now it makes perfect sense.'

'Aren't we getting a little off track, who were you kissing?'

'Well the reason I ended things with Noel is because I was seeing someone, before him, but then that guy left for a while and I thought that he didn't love me, but then I – well I may as well tell you, he came back and then I found this poem that he's written, about me, and I just knew that he did love me and so I ended things with Noel.'

'A guy wrote you a poem? That's so sweet!' Hanna smiles widely, 'Is it the guy from Iceland?'

'No,' Aria shakes her head, 'It's Ezra Fitz.'

'Mr Fitz!' Emily and Hanna both shout together.

'Keep it down.' Aria looks at them sternly.

'Nobody's home,' Hanna responds.

'You and Mr Fitz,' Emily shakes her head and then looks at Spencer, 'That's who she was kissing?'

'Yep,' Spencer nods, 'I just didn't realise this was something that had been going on.'

'Well I didn't just walk into his classroom and kiss him.' Aria defends.

'Well I don't know do I? This is all pretty crazy.' Spencer replies.

'How long have you been seeing him?' Emily asks.

'Since the day I got back from Iceland.' Aria looks at the floor.

'For that long!' Spencer is shocked again, 'All that time you've been seeing him?'

'Yeah.' Aria nods.

'And it's serious?' Hanna asks.

'Yeah it is, I mean we've both tried to walk away from it, because we know that we should but it's like we're magnetized or something, we keep going back to each other. I love him.'

'This is crazy.' Emily presses a hand to her head.

'When we started seeing each other we didn't know, I mean we didn't know he was going to be my teacher.'

'Can I read the poem?' Hanna suddenly asks.

'What? No!'

'Is it in that book?' Spencer asks.

'What book?' Aria replies innocently.

'The one you were clutching while kissing him, the one that you haven't let out of your sight since we got here.' Spencer replies looking at the book poking out of Aria's bag, which is still on her shoulder.

'Uh,' Aria tries to think of a lie but Hanna's already got the book in her hands, and the three girls pile around each other to read it.

'Wow.' Spencer is the first to speak, 'He really loves you, you're sure it's about you?'

'Yes I'm sure!' Aria folds her arms over her chest, 'B-26, that was the number of the song playing on the jukebox when we met.'

'Aw romantic,' Emily smiles.

Suddenly the door is opened and shut downstairs, Aria snatches the book back and slides it under her pillow.

'Not a word, you can't tell anyone.' Aria pleads.

'We won't.' They chorus together.

'Aria are you home?' Ella's voice floats up the stairs.

'We're up here mom.' Aria calls back, steadying her breathe.

'Hi, oh hi girls.' Ella smiles at them all, 'Mrs Welsh came across something today.'

'Oh yeah?' Aria looks nervously at her friends, but they're all acting normal, pulling homework books from their bags.

'Yes, a book of poetry and you'll never guess who's in it.' Ella smiles and Aria freezes on the spot as Ella pulls out the book, one identical to the one hiding under Aria's pillow.

'Who?' Aria knows her mom expects that question so she forces it out, hoping her voice doesn't betray her.

'Mr Fitz, actually it's a brilliant poem, very romantic. I didn't think he was seeing anyone.'

'Oh well,' Aria shrugs, 'I wouldn't know.'

'No of course, well since I'm going to be working at the school now, your father thought it would be a good idea to invite some of the teachers over, I'll invite him and Mrs Welsh and I can quiz him on who it's about. Will that be weird for you?'

'What?' A spark of panic lights in her eyes.

'Having your teachers over here socially?' Ella explains.

'Oh, well a little.' Aria tries to think of an excuse, 'I mean Mike might find it weird as well, I think Mrs Welsh teaches one of his classes.'

'You might be right, well we'll put it on the back burner for now.' Ella smiles, 'I'll leave you girls to your homework.'


End file.
